20 Years
by Silvershadow11223
Summary: Taking place 20 years after the Cursed Child, Willow Ferevel and her friends attend Hogwarts. However, a lot has changed since Harry Potter went. Times are changing, and rules are bending. Why did Tom riddle turn out the way he did? Was it neglectance? Or something deeper?
1. chapter 1

"Honeydukes? Flourish and Blotts? What kinds on shop names are those?" Laughed Willow as she walked through a place called, Diagon Ally. At least that's what her older cousin, Velika had told her. Velika, as Willow had only recently found out, was a witch as well. She was also eighteen, and since her father was a muggle, Velika was the one to take her out shopping in Diagon ally. As they hurried along, Velika once again checked the list of school supplies. "Hmmmmm, we have your cauldron, first year potion, defence against the dark arts, charms, history, transfiguration, care of magical creatures and herbology books. You also have your school uniform. That leaves us with... Ahhhhhhh, let's see, oh yes! A familiar and your wand." "A familiar?" Questioned Willow "Hogwarts allows you to bring a familiar if you would like. A cat, toad or an owl. Though, toads went out of fashion years ago. Owls are good if you want to send a lot of letters. But then again you can just use the school owls. So, I think a cat would be the best choice. So! Would you like one? A familiar I mean?" Up until this point, Willow was speechless and overwhelmed. "Yes please! I would very much like a cat!" Willow finally awnsered. Velika grinned. "Well then! Of to Magical Menagerie!" As the cousins entered the shop, they were greeted by a loud chorus of meowing, croaking, and hooting. A young shop attendant bustled up to them almost immediately after Willow and Velika entered. "Hello! Welcome to Magical Menagerie! How may I help you?!" "My cousin was looking for a cat familiar. Maybe a tabby or a mane coon?" The shop attendant pulled out her wand an suggested that she cast a spell to determine what kind of cat would suit Willow best. Without uttering a word, the shop attendant, whose name was Lidia, cast the spell and soon after a cage door unlocked. And when

did so, Lidia ran over to the cage and retrieved a beautiful Egyptian Mau. "Here you are!" She exclaimed cheerfully as she handed the cat to Willow. The young girl gasped in delight. "She's beautiful!" Velika smiled. We'll take the cat and all the supplies." As the shop attendant placed the feline in her carrying case, Velika and Willow picked out some cat food and a bed. When they had everything, Velika payed. And as they headed out of the shop Velika remarked to Willow, "consider this your late birthday gift!" "Fine by me!" Was all Willow replied. She was to busy admiring her Egyptian Mau to give any long reply. "Now all that's left is my wand!" Exclamed Willow, startling Velika with her sudden remark. "Ah yes, the wand..."


	2. Willow's Wand

A loud crash greeted Willow and Velika's ears as they stepped into Ollivander's Wand Shop.

"No, no, try this one," A young man was saying. "Hmm, maple and unicorn hair." Willow and Velika watched as a young girl with deep auburn hair and a sprinkling of freckles raised a slim stick of wood and gave it a wave. Bright purple sparks shot out of the end and formed the words "Just Right". The girl grinned and turned towards a woman standing beside her. The woman hugged the girl and turned towards the young man. Willow saw the flash of gold as the galleons changed hands. The girl and the woman left, and Willow and Velika took their place at the counter.

" Here, write your name on this paper," the young man directed, handing Willow a piece of paper and an inkwell and quill. Willow wrote her first, middle, and last name on the piece of paper and handed it to the man. He waved his wand

over it and the letters glowed green. "Hmm," the man said thoughtfully. "Try this. It's willow and kelpie hair." Willow waved the wand. Immediately, a stack of old wand boxes in the corner toppled over. In a hasty manner, Willow placed the wand on the desk. The man at the counter reached for another box and pulled out another wand, slimmer than the first. "Maybe willow and dragon heartstring." Willow waved the second wand and sent a porcelain vase crashing to the floor. "Reparo," the man muttered, pointing his own wand at the shards. He retrieved a third wand from its place on the shelves and handed it to Willow. "Third time's the charm," he said with a smile. "Willow and Phoenix feather." As Willow waved the wand, a tingling feeling spread up her arm and through her body. It manifested itself in red and gold sparks that shot out of her wand and formed the word "Perfect". Smiling proudly, Velika handed several galleons to the man and turned to walk out of the shop.

"Thank you," Willow told the man as they left.

Once outside, Velika handed Willow a slip of paper. "This is your ticket for the Hogwarts Express," she told her. "Don't lose it. I'll come pick you up on September first."


	3. On The Hogwarts Express

"That was weird," Willow remarked, rubbing her eyes. Behind her was a solid brick wall and in front of her was a trolley piled high with baggage, books, and her Egyptian Mau, who was snoozing on top of the precarious stack. "Wow, this place is amazing," she added, staring in awe at the towering ceilings and polished engine of platform 9 3\4. Velika smiled.

"Here, let me help you with your stuff," the older girl offered, nudging Ivory Cream, the Egyptian Mau, awake. Ivory woke up, hissing, and Velika pulled her hand away before she was scratched. Velika and Willow piled the baggage onto a smaller train cart, and Ivory settled herself back down to sleep. The train's whistle sounded long and loud, and the children and teens began to board. Willow hugged her cousin tightly, as they separated ways on the train, Velika to a group of her sixth year friends, just before the conductor closed the door.

Willow strolled through the car, peering into the compartments at lined the hall. In one compartment, a pair of older boys were chortling at another boy, whose ears had turned a bright orange. In another, some eleven-year-olds shared a generous heap of candy. Just then, the train started with a lurch, making Willow stumble. A hand grabbed hers, and pulled her back to her feet. It was one of the girls from the compartment with the candy. A couple of boys and two other girls stood behind her. Willow stood up, embarrassed.

As she turned to leave, the girl stopped her. "Hey, do you want to come with us? Bella and Gary brought a bunch of candy."

"Um, okay," Willow replied. She wheeled her cart into the compartment and sat down.

"So, what's your name? the first girl asked, munching on a piece of chocolate. " I'm Jo, Jo Prewett. My dad's an accountant. He and mom are muggles, but Gram and Grandpa are magic. You?"

"Oh, my parents are muggles, but my cousin and her dad are magic. And I'm Willow Marcus. Hey, I think I saw you in Ollivanders. Maple and unicorn hair, right?"

"Yep, that's me."

" I'm Gary," one of the boys interrupted. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Mum's a witch, and Dad's never around."

"I'm Nathan," the other boy announced. "I'm pureblood, but Bella keeps my head small."

The other girl smirked and punched Nathan on the shoulder. "And I'm Bella, Nathan's cousin," she mentioned anticlimactically. Just then, there was a commotion at the table across from them. The exploding snap game had been rudely interrupted when the cards exploded, leaving nothing but bits of ash and a scorched smell. The occupants who started the commotion leaped to their feet and started arguing.

"And those two weirdos over there are Zack and Scarlett" The two first years paused their quarrel to greet Willow.

"Hi! I'm Scarlett!" Scarlett said brightly. From what Willow could see, Scarlett was an athletic girl who had short darkish blond hair and had a competitive nature

"Zack..." The boy apparently named Zack grumbled.

Without warning, Zack leaped on Scarlett, and the two fell to the floor, pummeling each other with clenched fists.

"Anyway, do you want some candy?" Bella asked, taking Willow's attention away from the furious duo.

"Sure. Are there any Hershey bars? Or twix or milky way?"

"What are Hershey bars?" Nathan mumbled in between bites of chocolate.

Bella smiled. "I forgot you're muggle-born. The wizarding world has different candy. These are chocolate frogs, Every Flavor Beans, pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, and this is butterbeer. Normally you don't drink butterbeer at Hogwarts until your third year, but Gary's parents let him bring some."

He chuckled nervously as Willow opened a chocolate frog. "Oh!" She cried as the enchanted sweet hopped out of it's box. Gary grabbed it and popped it into his mouth.

"Gotta be quick," he grinned. Willow rolled her eyes, though, she couldn't help a small smile from edging it's way onto her face, and opened another box and quickly snatched the dessert before it had the chance to escape.

"Mmm," she mumbled, surprised at the taste, which was creamy with a slight strawberry tang. she made to toss the box aside, she heard a slight shuffle. "What's this?" She asked, pulling a piece of thick paper out.

"That's a trading card," Scarlett told her. She and Zack had broken apart but were still glowering at each other. On the card was a picture of a middle aged man with black hair, round glasses, and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead.

"Who's that?" Willow asked.

"That's Harry Potter," Gary told her, peering at the card. "Read what it says."

Willow read it aloud. "Harry Potter is best known for his defeat of the dark wizard Voldemort, the greatest foe in wizarding history. Despite skipping his N.E.W.T.s, Mr. Potter was hired by the ministry of magic as an Auror, shortly before his marriage to Ginevra Weasley. Mr. Potter lives in Godric's Hollow. What are N.E.W.T.s?" Willow asked.

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests," Zack replied grouchily. "My sister took them last year. She says she doesn't know how she lived through them." Willow gulped.

"Don't worry, you have seven years to learn it all before you have to do those," Jo added.

"Speaking of learning, we should probably get into our uniforms now," Bella mentioned. "You can go first, Willow."

As the others left the compartment, Willow contemplated her future. It was a lot different than she had thought, but that was okay. And already, she had six people who seemed willing to help her. Willow took a deep breath, not knowing that, in time, these young people would be ready to lay down their lives for each other.


	4. Arriving at Hogwarts

The train screeched to a stop, spewing smoke and steam into the damp air. From every door, teenagers spilled out and mingled, chatting among themselves. Soon, the cry for first years echoed through the station, sent by a huge man with a graying beard. Willow and her friends, along with the rest of the first years, regrouped in front of him.

"Alright, first years, come along then." He said with a deep voice.

"Where is he taking us?" Willow inquired. "The boats, probably. Its tradition for the first years to enter Hogwarts like that."Scarlett replied.

"A'right, no more'n 4 to a boat. Don't crowd." As Willow and her new friends stumbled into the oaken rowboats, she got a glimpse of the huge man's face. It was crisscrossed with scars and a random patch of his beard was gone, replaced by a mess of burned flesh. Willow looked away, horrified.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Willow asked Zack.

"He teaches dragon training and riding." Zack told her. "Now shut up, I'm trying to see the giant squid."

Willow gasped. "A giant squid!? But isn't that dangerous!?" Zack ignored her. Willow turned to look back at the person across from her, a boy with pale blonde hair and a pale, pointed face. He smiled and wiggled his fingers at her in hello. She smiled back. Then, remembering the prospect of the giant squid, Willow glanced nervously over the side of the boat.

"He isn't harmful you know. If fact, that squid's been around for a long while now, and probably even saved a life now and then!" The boy announced, as if reading her mind.

"How do you know that?" Willow asked suspiciously.

"My father told me a lot about Hogwarts, and one of the stories was about the squid. I don't believe I know your name. I'm Taurus Malfoy."

"Willow, Willow Ferevel" Willow replied. "So, you say the squid isn't dangerous? Well, I have a huge fear of anything big that lives in the water, so it wouldn't matter anyway."

Taurus chuckled. Suddenly, there was a loud splash and several shrieks. A few boats away, a long blue tentacle was handing a dark oblong shape to the large man. Willow let out a strangled cry when she realized that the tentacle belonged to the famed giant squid and had just saved someone's life. She turned back towards Taurus and gripped the side of the boat tightly, feeling she was going to be sick. Taurus laid his hand on Willow's. Willow took a shaky breath and mustered up a smile. Taurus grinned lopsidedly.

Within moments, the rowboat bumped gently into a wooden dock. As the children cautiously scrambled out of the boats, Willow glimpsed Jo and wormed her way over. They smiled at each other but didn't have a chance to speak. A middle aged man revealed himself from behind the main doors.

"Aspiring witches and wizards," he began. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Once you enter these doors, you will soon learn all you wish to know about the delicate art of magic. You will be sorted into one of four houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. That is, you will be if you can pass The Sorting." He wiggled his eyebrows for effect. On that enigmatic note, he whirled around and strode into the building. The 11 year olds, not knowing what to do, looked at the large man that had escorted them. He gestured that they should follow the other man. And so, with apprehension, anxiety, and excitement, the children entered Hogwarts.


	5. The Sorting and Other Matters

As soon as she passed through the great doors, her ears were affronted by the buzz of chatter. The white noise was swiftly hushed as she and the other first years were noticed. The middle aged man who had greeted them clapped thrice, and a large rolled parchment appeared in his hands. Before he unrolled it, he nodded at an ancient, patched hat. The hat shifted and a rip near the bottom opened. Willow realized that this was the Sorting Hat that Velika had told her about. Almost as soon as she realized this, the hat was speaking.

"I'm the sorting hat of Hogwarts,

And if you didn't know,

I'm here to help you first years

And tell you where to go.

On hundreds of heads I've sat upon

Hundreds of thoughts examined.

I know exactly where you should be

But maybe not where you've determined.

Maybe you're a Gryffindor,

With brave deeds ahead.

Or possibly a Ravenclaw,

With deep thoughts in your head.

You might end up in Hufflepuff,

Where they're hardworking and steady.

Of course there's also Slytherin,

Where success is always ready.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

Find where you should be!

And if you're wondering who you are,

We shall very soon see!"

There was a polite round of applause from everyone as the hat took a stiff bow. With a broad smile on his face, the middle aged man introduced himself as Professor Tritis and unrolled the huge parchment.

"Applebee, Rachel!" He called. A blonde girl stepped timidly up to the stool where the sorting hat rested and placed it on her head. Within seconds, the hat called out,

"Hufflepuff!" Beaming all over her flushed face, Rachel hurried over to the Hufflepuff table, where she was greeted by an older girl who must have been her sister and a round of applause from the whole table.

Baffin, Connor became a Ravenclaw. Burkin, Sofia, became a Gryffindor. One by one, names were checked off the list. Now it was Willow's turn. Her whole body burned as she took her place in the stool. Taking a deep breath, Proffesser Titus placed the sorting hat on her head.

The world disappeared before her eyes. Willow was no longer aware of Hogwarts or her friends. All she knew was the presence of the sorting hat, poking around in her mind.

"Well then, you're quite hardworking, good Hufflepuff material, but you always want to do the right thing. That would be prized in Gryffindor. So, where will you be? I think that, overall, the house of courage would be best. So...Gryffindor!" As the hat said this last bit, the hat was lifted from her head, and Willow was dimly aware of the Gryffindor table cheering for her. She could barely feel the huge smile on her face as she sat down, and definitely didn't hear the other names being called. Only when someone at the staff table with a certain degree of importance nod at her, did she blink and become aware of her surroundings.

As Willow watched, one by one, her friends were sorted. She was relieved to find out that the pureblood Bella Cincira, was also in Gryffindor. Predictably, Zack was in Slytherin, as well as Taurus. Scarlett and Nathan were in Hufflepuff, and Gary was in Ravenclaw. Now only Jo was left.

"Prewet, Josephine" The man called. As Willow's red-headed friend's name was called, Willow could almost hear the hat muttering inside Josephine's head.

"Hmm, Such an intelligent mind, Might make a good Ravenclaw. Although, she has a yearning to help others, so she would make an decent Hufflepuff. Overall, best not to let that keen mind go to waste, shall we? I think I'll put you in, Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaw house roared in applause for their new housemate. She grinned happily at Willow as she sat down next to Gary. After the rest of the first-years were sorted, the opening speech began.

"Welcome, to a new year at Hogwarts! As you all must be very hungry, I won't take long. I am Professor Clareissila Ellister, your headmistress. I'd like to introduce all the professors to our new students; however, your prefects will tell you when you get to the common rooms. I'd like to make it clear, that the Forbidden Forest, is strictly, well, forbidden without supervision." The Headmistress pointedly looked at a Slytherin boy who looked about to be in his fifth year, who looked not in the least bit ashamed.

"Anyway, enough of my rambling, let the feasting begin!" Suddenly, an explicable array of food, both dinner and dessert, appeared upon the tables before the hungry crowd of teens.

"Wow! Look at all this food! I was told it would be a feast, but this, you could feed the whole ministry!" Bella exclaimed excitedly. Some the older students laughed.

"If you think this is a feast, Bell, wait until the celebration!" One of them called. Bella glared at the student. She heaved a sigh of annoyance as she introduced the boy.

"Willow, this is Aaron, my brother. Aaron, this is Willow." Willow waved politely. Aaron waved back.

"And over there in Hufflepuff, is my cousin Charlotte, but we call her Coco for short. The girl at the Ravenclaw table, the one with black hairand blue highlights, is my sister, Tamara. Sitting next to her is Cody, my other brother. I could go on, but I'm to hungry! Let's eat!" Bella laughed and dug into the magical feast that was laid out before them. Willow, reminded of Velika, began to look for her cousin earnestly. She finally spotted her cousin with a group of Gryffindors a little farther up the table. Noticing Willow, Velika waved, enthusiastic. Willow happily waved back. Now, Willow was beginning to feel quite hungry and quickly loaded her plate with potatoes, corn, and steak. Doing so, she happened to look over at the Slytherin table where Zack was stuffing himself with a pudding that Willow was not familiar with. She began laughing, and nudged

Bella. When the pureblood caught sight of him she snorted in laughter. Hearing this, Zack looked up, and the girls found his face covered in pudding, causing them to laugh even harder. In a hasty manner, the embarrassed boy messily wiped his face with a cloth napkin. After making sure his face was relatively clean, he sent a dirty glare at the gigging girls.

The students continued to laugh and chatter for another hour, until the food was magically removed. At this point, Professor Ellister stood again to speak. "Young men and women," she began, "Tomorrow officially begins the first semester here at Hogwarts. So tonight, get lots of rest, because you're going to need it. Your house prefects will present you with your class schedules for this semester. Welcome to Hogwarts." She sat down again to thunderous applause. Willow couldn't wait until the next day


	6. To Each His Own

The Gryffindor table left the Great Hall first. Willow caught up to Velika and gave her a hug. Her cheek squished against something cool and metallic. She let go and stared at it. It was a prefect badge! "I didn't know you were a prefect!" She exclaimed. Velika nodded. She quickly hugged Willow back and turned to address the other students.

"Okay, everyone, stay together, we're going straight to the common room." The students chatted as they walked, until they reached a huge room with several staircases that swiveled back and forth from different landings. It made Willow's head spin.

"Now, you need to be careful which staircase you take," the other prefect began. He was a tall, dark haired youth with glasses. "But if you get lost, the portraits will normally be willing to help you out." Indeed, most of the portraits they'd passed had greeted them cordially.

Now, Velika and the other prefect started up one of the staircases and motioned for the others to follow them. As the children scrambled up the stairs, they suddenly moved. Some of the girls shrieked. "Nobody panic!" Velika called down. "This is normal." The kids calmed themselves and reached the next staircase without any trouble. This time, they were quicker, as they knew what might happen. They reached the entrance without further difficulties, where they stopped in front of a tall painting containing a large slumbering woman in a pink dress that stretched at the seams.

The other boy cleared his throat, startling the portrait awake. "This is-" he began, but didn't get any farther.

"I'll introduce myself, thank you very much," she said grumpily. "Cedric Amos Potter, you show no common courtesy. Anyway," she continued, "I am known as the Fat Lady and it is my job to guard the Gryffindor common room. In order to enter the common room, and, by extension, your dorms, you must tell me the correct password."

"Yes, well, the password is Agorium Rapere," Cedric interrupted, his dignity ruffled. The portrait swung open and the young adults entered through a stone archway that had been revealed...

Meanwhile, the Hufflepuff table was rising to leave. After descending a single staircase and winding through long corridors, Scarlett, Nathan, and the others stumbled into a dark storage room. One of the prefects, Trisha, whispered a command to her wand. "Lumos." Instantly, the room flooded with light generated from Trisha's wand. Scarlett glimpsed a stack of barrels in a corner, then turned back to Trisha, who was speaking.

"While other houses have passwords, we Hufflepuffs have something special. In that corner over there are the barrels that Helga Hufflepuff stored her strawberry sandwich cookies in. Hogwarts received the barrels in her will in 1447. Now, they have been enchanted to open the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room when the rhythm 'Helga Hufflepuff' is tapped out specifically on the barrels." She crossed the room and tapped. Five hollow sounds in various degrees of pitch sounded, and a portion of the wall slid open, revealing a carpeted room with huge couches. The students milled around, seating themselves and chatting...

Ravenclaw was the next to leave. Jo and Gary found themselves in the center of the crowd. As they walked through the halls, their prefects took turns explaining the Hogwarts rules to the new students. They soon reached a large statue of a regal-looking woman with a wise face. The boy prefect, a stocky, powerful youth, stared the statue straight in the eyes. Suddenly, the statue began to speak.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," the marble woman began. "Do you believe that you can measure?"

Still staring into the statue's eyes, the prefect nodded. "Which is better, darkness or light? Which is higher, day or night?"

The prefect thought for a moment. As he was thinking, Jo blurted out, "Darkness is naught without the light; day is naught without the night; they are both the same, seen with equal fame." Gary joined her for the last few lines. The prefects and other teens blinked in surprise. Jo blushed and Gary fiddled with his uniform. The corners of the statue's mouth crinkled in a smile.

"Do not be ashamed of a brilliant mind," she said. "That is why all of you are here. You will all be able to answer these questions with ease soon." She moved a fold of her marble dress and revealed a doorway...

Slytherin was the last to exit the great hall, and when they did, Zack was complaining about, "Those filthy Gryffindor mudbloods who laughed at me during the feast." Taurus was relieved to finally get away from his whiny roommate. Zack quickly found someone with similar complaints and began conversing loudly with them about how dishonorable those Gryffindors were. Taurus, however paid close attention to the prefects instructions and advice, memorizing the twists and turns of the corridors as they went. When they finally arrived, the Slytherins found themselves in front of a large metal door. The prefect murmured "Potis Hominis" at the door and it swung open reveling a large room with a glass roof, showing fish, and other water dwelling creatures darting about, the murky water giving off an eery glow, making the room seem cozy. Though, it probably would seem spooky to any other house member.

After being directed to his room, Taurus was dismayed to find out that Zack was his roommate. He was putting his clothes away in the dark wooden wardrobe when Zack stomped in and flung his trunk onto his four poster bed. Taurus resolved to ignore him. However, that would soon change...


	7. Not- So- Normal Classes

Willow woke early the next morning. With a start, she remembered that classes started that day. She grabbed her class schedule from her bookbag and scanned it. Right after breakfast she had double charms with the Ravenclaws. Then it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Just before lunch there was double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Then double Potions with the Slytherins. Three double classes in one day! Willow quickly changed into her uniform and hurried down to the common room. Bella was already there, holding her bag over her shoulder. They hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast, and only got lost twice. Only a few others were there this early, but the food had already been served. Willow sat down and began to eat her eggs. As soon as the eggs were finished, bacon appeared in its place. "How peculiar," Willow thought, peering under the table. The stone floor was solid. She turned back to her food as others started to arrive.

After freshening up, Willow and Bella followed the directions of several friendly portraits to the Charms classroom. Some students had already gathered, and Willow recognized Jo among them. A tall man with graying black hair and navy blue robes checked a pocket watch every few moments. At last he seemed satisfied and, returning the watch to its place, signalled for everyone to take a seat. A hush fell over the room as he cleared his throat.

"Good morning class. I trust you all found your way here easily enough. You may address me as, Proffesser Cincira. As you know, I am you charms teacher and..." He began. What caused him to stop, however, was a small commotion in the back of the classroom. Proffesser Cincira calmly walked to the source of the disturbance. He silently held out his hand to one of the two girls who had caused it. She placed a small piece of paper into it and the Proffesser cracked a lopsided smile.

"When you are passing notes in class, Amber, you can't look at the other person like that. Or I'll know what you're up to and single you and Lila out. Try it that way, next time, and maybe I won't notice." He winked at the astonished class and began the lesson.

For the next hour or so, the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors both struggled to master first-year charms. A couple other incidents happened, also concerning passing notes. Much to the enjoyment of the class, Proffesser Cincira read some of the messages aloud. Though, he was merciful enough to only (mostly) read the notes that contained no embarrassing secrets. (Although he seemed to enjoy making his students squirm, therefore reading aloud a couple of the messages about "who likes who") this made charms class not only educational, but very much enjoyable. Willow couldn't wait until her next charms lesson to see what news she would learn.

"Ugh," Bella remarked as they left the charms classroom. "My dad is soo embarrassing!"

"Your dad?" Willow asked in confusion.

"Oh yeah, didn't I tell you? Professor Cincira is my dad."

"Wow," Willow began, but they were interrupted by all the portraits crying out,

"Five minute warning!" Willow and Bella hurried out to the greenhouses. They were excited for a joint class with the Hufflepuffs.

Scarlett and Nathan were already there, along with a half dozen of others. Scarlett was watching a long spiky tentacle attached to a pink and blue flower. Nathan was watching the sky, where another class was flying erratically on broomsticks.

Suddenly, the tentacle started thrashing around, shattering flowerpots. Willow shrieked as one smashed right above her, covering her in thick mud. A round faced wizard with a bushy white moustache suddenly burst in and shot a burst of magic from his wand at the tentacle. Subdued, the tentacle retracted into the pink and blue flower, coiling itself around the stumpy stem. The wizard mopped his brow and surveyed the class, which was now complete.

"Well, class," he began, as if nothing had happened. "I am Professor Longbottom. Take out your copies of Great Plants for the Beginning Botanist. Turn to page seven and read the first paragraph in your books."

After turning to page seven in her herbology guide, Willow hastily pointed her wand at herself, and whispered the cleaning charm that she had learned earlier. Unfortunately, she only succeeded in showering herself with a few sparks, which, did absolutely nothing to get her clean. As she looked around to see if there was something to wipe her face with, she caught sight of Nathan, his face plastered with what looked like a smirk crossed with a smile and some sort of shocked expression. As Willow fought down a sudden burst of laughter, her friend's face changed to a smile, as he began to read his book upside down. The aspiring witch smiled to herself as she started to read the assigned pages. Willow figured that Professer Longbottom could preform a cleaning charm or something of that nature after class.

"Devel's Snare, is the perfect example of a predatory plant. It has, however, one weakness. Does anyone know what that weakness is?"

After thinking about the answer, a few Hufflepuffs and a couple Gryffindors timidly raised their hands.

"Yes, Miss Applebee?" Proffesser Rosebud prompted"

"Could it be, um, light? Possibly?" Rachel whispered.

" Well done Miss Applebee!" At this, the girl beamed with delight. "Five points to Hufflepuff!"

Nathan and Scarlett looked over at Bella and Willow. They grinned at their Gryffindor friends. Scarlett taunted them and stuck her tongue out. Bella kicked Scarlet under the table while Willow rolled her eyes at Nathan. Determined to answer the next question, Willow and Bella paid close attention to everything that the Professer talked about, so that if the opportunity were to arise, they as well, might be able to earn some points for their house.

After class, Willow and Bella hurried to take their places at the Gryffindor table. On their way in, they paused to look at the hourglasses representing the house points. Ravenclaw was in the lead, with 70 points. Slytherin wasn't far behind, with 65 points. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor both had 50 points. Willow and Bella turned away to sit down. They speedily downed their lunches and hastened out to the lawn, where the autumn sun had dried up the morning dew. They were joined by Taurus, Zack, Nathan, Scarlett, Jo, and Gary. They good-naturedly ran out of the castle to spent the lunch break outside.


	8. Exploring the Outdoors

The first years hurried onto the lawn and crashed down onto the grass, laughing with each other. Bella punched Gary's shoulder. Nathan cracked a smile. Jo read part of her charms book. Gary looked over his potions book. Scarlett balanced her wand on the tip of her finger. Willow arm-wrestled with Taurus. Nathan watched the Quidditch pitch longingly. Gary and Jo compared foot-long rolls of notes. They chatted about classes, meals, and nothing in particular. In short, they had fun.

"Hey, what's that?" Zack asked suddenly. He pointed to something that looked like an upside-down rowboat. The group stood up and squinted at it.

"Let's go find out," Scarlett suggested. This was met with general approval. They wandered over and the thing turned out to be a very large, upside-down rowboat with smoke coming from where the stern would have been. Upon further inspection, they discovered a green door set in one side. Willow knocked. A few moments passed. Willow knocked again. A few more moments passed. They were about to turn away when the door was opened and the giant shaggy head of the dragon trainer poked out.

"What're you doin' here?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"Nothing" Nathan spoke up, speaking for all of them. "We just wanted to see who lived here."

The huge man scratched his beard. "Don't sound like nothin' to me. A'right, c'mon in. Won't do no harm." So saying, he opened the door the rest of the way and beckoned for them to enter. Tentatively, the friends slid in. The large man closed the door behind them. He busied himself at a wood stove.

The group started to whisper amongst themselves. "He's huge!" Jo commented.

"I've heard he has giant blood in him!" Zack added, dropping his grumpy façade.

"I know yer talking 'bout me," the man rumbled in his deep bass voice. "They all do. But before you judge me 'cause of th'rumors, I'll introduce myself to you. I'm Jakobin Hagrid. You can call me Jak. My mum was 'alf giant and so was m'dad. Mum was the 'eadmistriss of Beauxbatons in France. Dad was gamekeeper and professor 'ere at 'Ogwarts. They met here during the last Triwizard Tournament of the twentieth century. You know, the one where the Dark Lord officially came back. They got married years later, and had me. They're dead now, so I got the old gamekeeper job and the new dragon trainer job. That's really all there is to know."

"We didn't mean to offend you, but, well..." Willow stammered.

"I know, I know. Don't think I don't know what 'th dragon trainin's done to me. Being 'alf giant probably don't 'elp much nether."

Having thought poorly of the man, the first years looked at the floor, ashamed.

"Well, 's long 'yer 'ere, I might 's well show you 'round so y'e won't get curious 'gain." The tweens cautiously, but curiously, followed him into the other room of the hut, and than out onto the land behind the structure where a large pumpkin patch was placed. It was growing beautiful, round orange pumpkins that looked extremely healthy and well cared for.

"Those are the largest pumpkins I've ever seen!" Scarlett exclaimed.

" 'Ave experience with gardenin' do 'yeh?" The half giant inquired.

"A little" She responded. "My sisters and I enjoy gardening over the summer."

After a while, the first years began to warm up to Jakobin, finding that he knew a lot of the secrets of Hogwarts. Though gruff at times, the half-giant had a kind personality and overall was wonderful company. Everyone was having an excellent time, until Gary realised that it had to almost be time for classes.

"What class do you have next?" Jo asked Willow.

"Double potions with the Slytherins," her friend replied.

"We just came from potions," Gary interjected. "You'll be learning about basic potion ingredients and poison repellers," he explained. After saying farewell to Jakobin Hagrid, the eight companions left for the castle, to endure classes, and to earn points for their houses.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to User: Preggosaurus

https//u/9220159/Preggosaurus they followed my story and gave me a good review. this really encouraged me. thanks Preggosaurus!


	9. Doulble Potions with the Slythrens

Zack, Bella, Taurus, and Willow hurriedly entered the potions classroom and found, to their relief, that they were five blessed minutes early. Thankfully, this was all the time they needed to prepare for class. When they finished personalising their desks. They reluctantly sat down at their workspaces just in time.

The dark iron doors to the dungeon swing open with a bang. A balding man of average height strode in, his deep orange robes swishing around his ankles. He slapped a thin stick on his desk to call order. All t children turned to face him, their backs unconsciously ramrod straight.

"I am Professor Riviera," he declared in a voice cut from ice. "I will attempt to teach you the subtle science of potion-making, though no doubt your heads are already stuffed full of arrogant nonsense. But you will learn otherwise in this class. Take out your copies of Bottles and Beakers: Basic Potion Essentials, and turn to page three. Today you will be learning about simple potion ingredients and poison repellers."

"Just like Gary said," Bella whispered to Willow.

"No whispering, Cincira, 10 points from Gryffindor." Professor Riviera made a note on a piece of parchment. The Gryffindors winced. "Now then, as I was saying before we were rudely interrupted, we will be learning about basic potion ingredients. Can anyone tell me the most basic ingredient that is found in every single potion?"

Willow remembered something that Velika had said when they were in the apothecary's in Diagon Alley. She quickly put her hand in the air.

"Yes, Ferevel?" Professor Riviera asked.

"Crushed lightning bug wings."

"Right, 5 points to Gryffindor. I want everyone to take out their cauldrons and supplies and find a fire pit to work over. Put one cup of crushed lightning bug wings into your cauldrons." The students hurried to follow his instructions. Willow carefully measured out an even cup of the beetle wings. Suddenly, she felt herself pushed over. Her beetle wings spilled on the stone floor. She pushed herself back up to see Zack laughing.

Growling she turned back to her cauldron. To her surprise, Zack offered her his beetle wings. As she took them, a couple of the wings rustled. Willow moved them aside. Suddenly, whole lightning bugs which were very much alive, erupted from under the wing decoys. Willow gasped in shock and dropped the cup. Zack doubled over in laughter. Bella looked disgusted. Taurus glared at Zack. And Willow stood there in shock. The whole class ether laughed with Zack, or gave him nasty looks. Proffesser Rivara stalked over.

"Silence! I would like you ALL to return to your seats." After seeing that his command was obeyed, the potions Proffesser turned to the class. "Who is responsible for this mess!? Ferevel. Tyler. I want an explanation. Did anyone, besides these two, see the whole thing?" Bella and Taurus immediately raised their hands. "Come to the front of the room, all of you." Obediently, the four of them stood in a line in front of him. "All of you will meet me tonight at 8 PM in my office for detention."


End file.
